The next morning, the atmosphere inside Riverside Garden felt unusually heavy.No one really spoke much during breakfast.Even Mia, who was normally energetic and noisy every morning, sat quietly beside Jaden while holding onto his arm tightly as if afraid he would disappear the moment she let go.Earlier that morning, Jaden had already explained everything to the family.About Ravenmoor.About Julie.And about why he needed to leave immediately.Naturally, Mia took it the hardest.Ever since hearing that he was leaving, tears had barely stopped falling from her eyes.“Papa, do you really have to go?” she asked again for what felt like the tenth time, her small voice filled with sadness.Jaden crouched beside her and gently wiped her tears away.“I’ll come back as soon as possible,” he promised softly.“But what if bad people hurt you?” Mia asked while sniffing sadly.A faint smile appeared on Jaden’s face.“Your papa is very strong, remember?”Mia lowered her head slightly before mut

Victor walked slowly toward a thick wooden table placed at the center of the chamber, the sound of his footsteps calm and unbothered. Without rushing, he poured himself a glass of dark liquor, the amber liquid catching the dim light as he swirled it once before taking a slow sip.Only after that did he turn back toward Michael.His eyes studied him for a moment, almost like he was admiring a finished experiment rather than speaking to a man.“When they found you,” Victor began casually, “every bone in your body was shattered.”He took another step forward.“From your fingers… to your spine… nothing was intact.”Michael’s jaw tightened slightly, but Victor continued without pause.“Your flesh was burned beyond recognition. The ship explosion didn’t just destroy you—it erased you. What was left of you was dragged from the deep ocean, several meters underwater, buried like a corpse the world had already forgotten.”Victor paused briefly, taking another sip.“But you were still alive.”Hi

Ravenmoor Airport had been completely locked down long before the helicopter arrived, with no civilians in sight, no commercial flights operating, and no unnecessary personnel anywhere near the perimeter, while armed soldiers occupied every strategic point and military vehicles formed a layered defensive ring around the landing zone. The identity of the King of War remained one of the nation’s highest classified secrets, and only a handful of high-ranking officers were ever permitted to witness his movements. The sound of helicopter blades thundered across the empty runway as a military transport descended through the clouds and touched down with a violent gust that sent dust spiraling across the tarmac, the rotor blades still spinning as the cabin door opened and a tall figure stepped out. Jaden Rift.The moment his boots hit the ground, every officer present straightened instinctively, and Hope along with several senior commanders and special operations personnel stepped forward and

The meeting concluded shortly afterward, and the Warlords immediately received their assignments. Ravenmoor was divided into sectors, with each member of the Warlord Division dispatched to investigate different leads connected to Julie’s disappearance. Some were tasked with tracking underground organizations, others with monitoring suspicious military movements, while intelligence teams worked around the clock following every rumor, transaction, and communication signal that might reveal where she was being held.For the first time in years, the full power of the Special Forces machine had begun moving in secret.Meanwhile, Jaden chose to pursue a different lead.He wanted to visit Marvin Hale personally.Less than an hour later, a black military vehicle stopped outside the Hale residence.Jaden stepped out alone.The neighborhood remained quiet, though several undercover Special Forces operatives were positioned throughout the area. Ever since Julie’s kidnapping, the military had qui

The men surrounding Kaiden formed a tight half-circle, rifles raised and fingers already resting on triggers as the red alarm continued to flash above the corridor like a heartbeat, and one of them stepped forward shouting, “You have five seconds to surrender! Drop your weapon and kneel!” while another mocked under his breath, “You’re alone in a dead facility, idiot.”Kaiden didn’t respond immediately; instead, he slowly tilted his head as if listening to something only he could hear through the earpiece, and Hope’s voice came through the line inside his ear, sharp and controlled, “Kaiden, report status.”He exhaled once. “Contact confirmed. Multiple hostiles. I’m surrounded.”Jaden’s voice immediately followed through the same channel, calm but edged with steel, “Don’t waste movement. Eliminate and proceed.”Kaiden’s eyes sharpened instantly. “Understood.”The countdown hit three.Two.One.“FIRE—”They didn’t even finish the order.Kaiden moved.In a single fluid motion, his body tw